Around Us 03-22-10

Published 7:00 pm, Sunday, March 21, 2010

LUBBOCK — Nobody was there to rescue a 7-month-old girl who died in a mobile home fire this weekend.

The infant was alone when the accidental blaze sparked, fire officials determined.

Robert Loveless, with the Lubbock Fire Marshal’s Office, said the child’s parents were at a friend’s residence a couple mobile homes from their unit at the time of the fire Saturday evening.

It was unclear why they left or how long they had been gone.

Initially there was concern that the couple’s other three children — boys ranging in age from 18 months to 10 years — were trapped inside the residence at the Pecan Grove Mobile Home Park, but they were later found.

The infant was found in the center of the mobile home in what appeared to have been a Pack ’n Play Playard.

Loveless said the blaze was sparked around the heater, though an exact cause has not yet been determined. Officials ruled out a cooking fire despite initial concerns that something was left on the stove.

The severe damage of the mobile home has made the investigation challenging. The roof collapsed, and everything was destroyed in the fire that started shortly after 5:30 p.m.

Investigators, including Lubbock police detectives, were on scene until about midnight.

Loveless said fire officials had a lot more work to do and were still investigating many issues related to the fire, including going over maintenance records since the family of six was leasing the unit. — Lubbock Avalanche-Journal

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LUBBOCK — Martha Ellerbrook’s taking a job about as easy as herding cats.

Ellerbrook will take over Lubbock’s troubled animal services department today, bringing, the city hoped, some stability and renewed purpose for the scandal-dogged operation.

A morbid kill rate and morale challenges wait the former city chemist and facilities supervisor who has had her own struggles with city government.

Shelter employees have dealt with the euthanasia of thousands of animals a year and scrutiny over illegal practices tied to the destruction of so many animals. They have faced uncertainty over to whom, and, as Lubbock proceeds on a new shelter site, where they report to work.

Ellerbrook shed no light on just how she would tackle the problems that waited for her as her start date approached. — Lubbock Avalanche-Journal

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LEVELLAND — Jury selection was set to begin this morning in Levelland for the trial to remove the Hockley County sheriff from office.

Last August, Lubbock Judge Blair Cherry placed Sheriff David Kinney under temporary suspension after two of Kinney’s former deputies were arrested and indicted on felony charges.

Hockley County attorney Christopher Dennis and defense attorney Rod Hobson were to start the jury selection process at 9 a.m. in the Hockley County Courthouse.

According to the original petition for Kinney’s removal filed by Dennis, Kinney knew or should have known about the "abuse of official capacity, official oppression, misuse of official information, misuse of county employees and misuse of county property" committed by deputies under his authority.

Kinney first took office in January 2005 and was re-elected in November 2008, and he has been employed in the sheriff’s office more than 20 years.

Kevin Davis, an investigator in the district attorney’s office, was appointed temporary sheriff and issued a temporary restraining order on Kinney to keep him away from the sheriff’s office, its employees and county records.

Cherry removed the restraining order at a January hearing and ruled that the Kinney remain under suspension until his trial, but said he could not make a decision to remove the sheriff from office.

The actual date of the trial will not be determined until 12 impartial jurors are selected. — Lubbock Avalanche-Journal

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AMARILLO — A vacant Amarillo home was destroyed Saturday afternoon when a fire broke out in the living area.

It wasn’t believed anyone was inside when the blaze broke out about 12:45 p.m. in the single-story residence at 3503 S. Washington St., officials said. No one was injured.

The fire quickly spread to the attic before it was under control about 1:15 p.m. The cause was under investigation. The home had no electricity. — Amarillo Globe-News